Hausa Hooked Letters: ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, ƴ and How to Type Them

Standard Hausa is written in a Latin-based alphabet called Boko. Most letters look familiar, but four have a small hook: ɓ, ɗ, ƙ and ƴ. They represent sounds that don't exist in English, and they change the meaning of words.

The four hooked letters

• ɓ — a glottalised b. It's made by closing the lips and the throat, then releasing with a slight "pop" from the throat. Example: ɓera (mouse).
• ɗ — a glottalised d, made in the same way at the tongue tip. Example: ɗaya (one), ɗaki (room).
• ƙ — a glottalised k (an ejective), made at the back of the mouth with a sharp burst. Example: ƙasa (ground, country), ƙarami (small), ƙwarai (very much).
• ƴ — a glottalised y, used in a small number of words. Example: ƴa (daughter, girl), ƴar'uwa (sister).

Native speakers hear the difference clearly. For example, ɗaya (one) starts with a glottalised d, while daya, with a plain d, isn't the same sound, and ƙasa (ground, country) isn't the same as kasa with a plain k. Dictionaries keep the hooks so that words can be told apart, so it's best to learn each word with its correct spelling.

Other consonant spellings

• ts — an ejective ts sound, as in tsaya (stop, stand).
• sh — like English sh: shinkafa (rice).
• c — like English ch: cin (eating), cika (fill).
• j — like English j: jiya (yesterday).
• kw, gw, ƙw — rounded consonants: kwana (to spend the night), gwamna (governor), ƙwarai (very much).
• ' — the glottal stop, as in ba'a or ma'aikaci.

Vowels and length

Hausa has five vowels, a, e, i, o, u, each either short or long. Length can change meaning, but in standard writing, long vowels are often not marked, apart from in learner materials, where they may be shown with a doubled letter or a macron (ā).

Why the hooked letters matter

Because hooked and plain letters are different sounds, they can distinguish words. When spelling is careless, meaning can be blurred. Good Hausa dictionaries, textbooks and newspapers keep the hooks.

How to type them

On phones:

• Add the Hausa keyboard in your keyboard settings. Gboard and other keyboard apps offer Hausa layouts, and on some layouts you long-press the plain letters (b, d, k, y) to see the hooked versions.

On computers:

• Add a Hausa keyboard layout in your operating system's language settings, where available.
• Alternatively, use character-map tools or copy letters from a reference.

Unicode: these letters are part of Unicode, so they display correctly in modern apps and browsers.

What happens in casual texting

Many people writing quickly on phones use plain letters (b, d, k, y) instead of hooked ones, because they're faster to type. Readers usually understand from context, but formal writing should keep the hooks.

Learning tips

1. Learn the four letters as separate sounds.
2. Listen to native speakers and imitate the "pop".
3. Check dictionary spellings for hooked letters.
4. Set up a Hausa keyboard before you start typing.

Common mistakes

• Replacing ƙ with k in formal writing.
• Pronouncing ɗ as an ordinary d.
• Forgetting the glottal stop '.

Look up Hausa words with correct spelling in English Hausa Dictionary →